Effect of crystallographic orientation on the potential barrier and conductivity of Bessel written graphitic electrodes in diamond

Ultrafast laser micromachining can be used to promote diamond graphitization, enabling the creation of electrically conductive wires embedded in the diamond matrix. In this context, the presence of a potential barrier in the conductivity of transverse graphitic wires fabricated by pulsed Bessel beams without sample translation across 500 μm thick monocrystalline CVD diamond has been studied. In particular, the role of the crystallographic orientation has been analysed. The morphology and the conductivity of the obtained electrodes have been studied using optical microscopy and current-voltage measurements, while the structural changes have been investigated by means of micro-Raman spectroscopy. By using different laser writing parameters, we have explored the features of different electrodes in a (100) and a (110) oriented diamond crystal respectively. We show that in addition to the use of specific pulse energies and durations (in the fs and ps regimes), the crystallographic orientation of the sample plays an important role in reducing or eliminating the potential barrier height of the IV electrical characterization curves. In a (110) oriented sample, it is possible to eradicate the potential barrier completely even for graphitic wires fabricated at low pulse energy and in the fs pulse duration regime, in contrast to the (100) oriented-crystal case where the barrier is generally observed. The effect of thermal annealing of the diamond samples on the resistivity of the fabricated micro-electrodes has also been investigated. In (110) oriented diamond, resistivities lower than 0.015 Ω cm have been obtained.